-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's the greatest magic trick in the world . This act of wizardry is performed hundreds of millions of times every day with the press of a button , or more increasingly , with a gentle tap of the screen -- and poof , time stops .

The magic is photography .

Today , we 're taking and uploading more than 200 million images per day via Facebook alone . Our phones have become our recording devices . Or as I like to see it : My camera can also make calls .

Smartphones have ushered in a golden age for photography . But disappointingly , much of the conversation has been focused on the device and the use of faux nostalgic filters rather than on how photographers can choose from a wide range of possibilities to be creative .

Art photography : When reality is n't good enough

We must n't forget -- a magician 's props , like a photographer 's choice of camera , are only part of the illusion created . When the rabbit is pulled from the hat , its color or breed is irrelevant . What 's important is the magician 's ability to artfully make the rabbit appear and ultimately evoke astonishment from the audience . In photography , the equivalent is taking an image that evokes strong feelings , regardless of which device captured the picture or its nostalgic hue .

Smartphones have democratized photography , and Instagram , in particular , has given us an unprecedented platform for our snapshots . But instead of marveling at all the choices , there 's some grumbling . Some professionals feel threatened as they see the playing field leveling ; they interpret it as the end of skill and craft in photography . They should have no fear of such a thing .

12 tips to become a better smartphone photographer

Photography is rooted in the rich culture of amateurism . What 's happening today is similar to the original proliferation of Kodak 's Brownie camera starting in 1900 . An inexpensive and easy-to-use camera in every hand did n't usher in the end of photography or automatically turn everybody into Richard Avedon .

Photo apps wo n't magically give Jane the smartphone photographer a better sense of composition , or lighting , or framing . The apps and filters only change a photo 's look and aesthetic feel . That does n't make it a better photo . If you put lipstick on a pig , it 's still a pig .

Photographing with a smartphone

For me , photography is my memory . I 've chosen photography to prove that I exist . I see my captured view of the world as my search for meaning . For me , words are often inadequate , so I choose to define my experiences with photographs .

This little act of magic does not divorce me -- as the critic Susan Sontag implied in her book , `` On Photography '' -- from the here and now . In fact , it deepens my bond to the present moment .

An image I take , sprinkled with synthetic nostalgia , tells all : `` I was here and this is what I saw . '' The camera phone allows me to offer a small taste of my here and now , on unprecedented levels , to a global audience with astonishing immediacy .

Why I use filters

The pictures of my childhood had a warmish , faded , slightly out of focus feeling . They are the memory of things past , comfort food for the eyes . It seems natural for me to add the option of nostalgic filters to my photographic process .

When we discover an old , faded , cracked and torn image , we handle it with care and respect . Time has honored it with its blessing .

My digital images , however , will never see the ravages of time . They 'll always remain , preserved , pristine and forever in their original state , in the perfection of now , without the possibility of the flaws of the past creeping in and eroding it .

I want my memories , like the prints of my childhood , to fade , to mix with the ether of all that has come before . Because I know that time can not touch my digital images , I add in the passage of time by using filters .

Embracing the present

It is all about time . It 's about the time we are losing , and what the future will do to our memories . It 's about the fact that technology can instantaneously compress our collective thoughts and images into binary digits of 1 's and 0 's .

We have a sea of images now . On the horizon , I see the forming of a new photographic language . Let 's embrace photography , as it exists now . And let 's continue to find our individual voice , perspectives , stories and style , regardless of the medium .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Richard Koci Hernandez .

@highlight

Richard Hernandez : Smartphones have ushered in a golden age for photography

@highlight

He says that one can be creative in many ways , including the use of nostalgic filters

@highlight

Hernandez : But some professionals see it as the end of skill and craft in photography

@highlight

He says photo apps wo n't magically turn people into Richard Avedon